


Top Two

by Haelblazer



Series: Luck Is For Losers [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, F/F, Poker, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2015-12-01
Packaged: 2018-05-02 14:30:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5251778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haelblazer/pseuds/Haelblazer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tracy knows that Bela cheated. She just doesn't know how.<br/>Originally written for: Multishippingrocks’ Femslash Friday Challenge on Tumblr.<br/>Friday November 13th theme: Luck</p>
            </blockquote>





	Top Two

The Harrah's casino hotel is arguably nicer than the Montbleu resort. They're side-by-side in Stateline, just off of Lake Tahoe, and they have basically the same gamble/spa/sleep-in-luxury thing going on. Tracy is staying at the Montbleu, mainly because the tournament is at Harrah's. She's been getting more and more agitated in the lead up to the event and there needs to be _some_ distance between her and the competition, even if that just means sleeping in a building only a few steps away.

When she steps into Harrah's, on the morning of the first round, a sweet wave of adrenaline makes her think that her decision has paid off. Tracy still wants to roll her eyes when she overhears a commentator calling her a prodigy. At 22 years old, she's hardly the youngest player to make it this far in a poker tournament. Considering it's taken her four years of failure to finally make it to the semifinals, she's not exactly an overnight success story either. It might be good PR to play her up as one, but she's probably not doing the best job at hiding how much it pisses her off. There's this unspoken sentiment behind that whole angle, like she just got lucky and found herself here, nevermind all of the work she's put in to build on whatever natural talent she has. She'll give them this much: maybe the talent itself was luck or a gift or whatever, but the skill was all practice and all hard work.

She makes her way around the tables, dodging anyone who's trying to get an interview, but one reporter gets a few words out of her. She only hopes that she doesn't come off as annoyed in playback, because she's pretty sure it's going to be a soundbite whether she wins or loses this thing: "You don't make it to semifinals by just being lucky at cards." Okay, so maybe she's been letting the coverage get to her. It's even worse when she gives in and starts comparing herself to the competition.

You want to talk about a prodigy? You're better off talking about Claire Novak. Showed up out of nowhere, flanked by a whole entourage of extended family and mentors or whatever they were to her. The kid was maybe just turned 18 from what Tracy could gather and maybe she'd been training since she was 12 or maybe she'd just started, but either way she came in with a legacy, not just from her parents but from some kind of surrogate family of experts-at-everything. Being born into that was the kind of thing that Tracy would call luck. She tries not to be envious or bitter about it since it wasn't Claire's fault that she had any of that.

When Claire plunks down at Tracy's table, she's all eyeshadow and lace and wavy blonde hair--the perfect teen prodigy poster girl. The promoters are probably salivating for her to win this thing, maybe positioning Tracy as the disappointment or villain in whatever story they're going to use to hype the tournament. Tracy becomes even more determined and it's not even anything against Claire at this point, just sheer determination to stick the tour with Tracy as a winner and then proceed to be everything she wants to be in spite of whatever they're trying to make of her or whatever they think of her.

Claire doesn't speak to Tracy and Tracy doesn't speak to her, but they are not discrete about sizing each other up as opponents. During the game, there is a moment of accidental eye contact between them and Tracy realizes that they're both slightly pouting as they play. It suddenly seems like the most ridiculous situation and Tracy feels the urge to laugh. Her pout turns up into an involuntary smile and she tries to press her lips together to hide it. Claire's expression has changed too now, to some mix of curious, suspicious, and amused.

* * *

 

When Claire loses to Tracy in the semi-finals, she tucks a loosely braided strand of hair behind her ear and actually blushes during the do the post-match " _aren't we good sports_ " handshake.

Claire tells Tracy, "You're really good." 

It isn't the most poetic thing to say, and she clearly wanted it to sound begrudging, but the smile that she tries to hold back and the almost-teasing note in her words make it hard to hide that she thinks Tracy is pretty cool.

She looks up at Tracy from under her eyelashes and, okay, it's cute, but it's funny to be on the receiving end of that when Tracy was just thinking about how much Claire was giving her teenage nostalgia. Maybe four years from now.

The next person to look up at Tracy like that happens to be her final opponent. There's no blushing this time though, and no wry smile. Bela Talbot's candy apple red lips are pulled up in a wide grin. Her eyebrows are perched low, but her eyes are open wide. She looks at Tracy as if Tracy just walked in wearing her cards sewn face-forward to the front of her chest, ready for whenever Bela decides it's time to have a look.

This, Tracy can roll her eyes at without feeling bad about it.

* * *

There have been dozens of players in this tournament, and only a handful made it this far into the game, but in the end it is down to two.

All those rounds of experience, yet Tracy feels like an amateur when it's down to just her and Bela. Tracy can't get a read on her and it feels like Bela is playing a different game from everybody else. She's reckless and she's steady, she has no tells but she acts like Tracy is an open book.  It doesn't seem possible for somebody to be this good.

Tracy accepts her own impending loss about eight minutes before it officially happens.

* * *

The more Tracy thinks over the final game, because she can't stop thinking over it, the more convinced she becomes.

Bela absolutely, undoubtedly cheated at that game. There is not a question in Tracy's mind about it other than "How?"

She's got just enough restraint to avoid coming off as a sore loser by accusing Bela out loud in front of spectators and the press. She does not, however, have enough restraint to force herself to stand around there to watch Bela being photographed beside her pile of prize money.

The first chance she gets, Tracy breaks through the crowd and slips out of the room, out of the casino, and off to the hotel next door, utterly relieved that she doesn't have to be in the same building as that other woman. Her relief lasts two and a half hours, until she's headed to the spa and she sees Bela making her way down the hall with a ridiculously fluffy robe and towel in hand. Tracy doesn't even consider turning around; she picks up her pace and heads straight for Bela. Bela catches the movement out of the corner of her eye, looks up, sees Tracy, and winks at her before continuing on her way and not paying Tracy any further mind.

Tracy does not waste time with tact. She follows Bela into the ladies' changing room, and tells her that she knows Bela cheated. Bela tightens the belt of her giant robe and laughs off Tracy's accusation.

"Cheated? It's a game of chance, darling, I can't cheat at luck." Her response is smug, like she knows there's no real proof that Tracy can offer aside from her own suspicion.

"I'm not your _darling_ ," Tracy refuses to lace any passive onto her aggressive; they were not friends or frenemies or anything demanding that a pretense of affection, "and if you really knew the game at all you'd know it takes more than luck to actually win something and deserve it."

"I can assure you, I know exactly what kind of skill it takes to win," Bela pauses before adding, "As far as your accusation goes: if I wanted money, I could obtain it without the floor show, and if I wanted prestige then I'd aim higher than a poker championship--world series or not. I play the game as an amusing bit of fun and really just entered the tournament on a lark. I was as surprised as anyone else when I made it beyond the first round, honestly. But it's as I said--it's just my luck. I did almost feel bad about taking a spot from someone who might actually care about the game a bit more than I do, but then I thought: that's silly, if they deserved that spot then they would have beaten me. Lucky as I may be, if you deserved it, you'd have it...I even know what it would have taken for _you_ to win this tournament, if I hadn't been in it. Unfortunately for you it is always somewhat about luck and that is where I will _always_ win."

It's a big, absurd statement, and Tracy goes for the equivalent of calling her bluff on it, "And how is that? How are _you_ always going to win?"

"Well in some part it's because I am very skilled, and in some part, it's because I make my own luck." Bela punctuates her sentence by twirling a rabbit's foot that Tracy didn't even see her pull from her robe's pocket or wherever she'd had it.

"I suppose it was a waste, putting all that time into practice when I could've just been visualizing myself as a winner and carrying around creepy animal parts for special effect." Tracy grimaces and refuses to think about whether that rabbit's foot is real.

"As they say: don't knock it," Bela waggles the rabbit's foot in front of Tracy's face until Tracy swats it away. Bela just laughs and Tracy turns to leave before she gives into the urge to knock Bela on her ass. Bela calls out behind her, "I _was_ rooting for you, you know--at least for you to make it as far as you did. You have such potential, it would be a shame to limit yourself to being an eternal runner-up when such a small thing could bring you victory."

Tracy debates whether to turn back around or just keep walking, but in the end her curiosity wins out. "Is this your way of making a sales pitch?

"All of that focus on you leading up to the tournament, you were one of the forerunners for champion. It did occur to me, as I kept winning, that if I stuck around long enough then I might have the opportunity to meet you face-to-face." Tracy stands her ground when Bela steps in to close the distance between them.

"Well great, yeah, that's great. Here's my face, congratulations."

"Indeed. It _is_." Bela reaches a hand up to stroke along Tracy's cheek and Tracy waits a few seconds too long before reacting and pushing Bela's hand away. This close up, with the full force of Bela's gaze trained on her, it's hard not to get lost for a few seconds. Bela Talbot is beautiful and intense and her presence takes over the entire space surrounding them. Tracy is still angry, just as she has _been_ angry, but with that face so close to hers and undisguised interest in Bela's eyes, there's another sensation that is getting harder to ignore. Her chest and throat feel full with it and she thinks that if Bela reaches out again that she won't be able to brush her off this time.

Bela must see something change in Tracy's demeanor because she adds a seductive purr to her voice and hovers a finger in front of Tracy's chest, just short of touching. Tracy watches Bela's finger as Bela speaks. "I can't do much about the winner's title, but perhaps you'd like a chance to win your money back. We can exchange a few tips; we clearly have differing perspectives and approaches to our game-play. Perhaps our styles can complement each other and help us both grow. _As people_."

She was almost sold on the idea until Bela said "as people" in such a mockingly sweet way. Tracy could not give Bela the satisfaction of winning at this too. She could not. "I don't think that you're what I want to grow into." 

"Are you sure?" Bela's finger is still hovering in front of Tracy, who realizes that her own heavy breathing is the main reason that it's in serious danger of making contact soon. "You're going to need practice with something new if you want to be ready for Claire Novak when she comes after you next year."

There's in innuendo in there that Tracy can't quite place and she doesn't want to delve into whatever Bela's getting at, so she ignores the subtext in favor of the text. "You're the champion; you're the one everyone will be coming after."

"Well then they'll have a rather hefty challenge as I expect to be indisposed by this time next year."

That is what finally pulls Tracy's attention back up to Bela's face. She is surprised to see that the only emotion there now is one of playful amusement. "What does that even mea--you know what, forget it. If you're not competing next year, then why do you even want to ' _exchange tips_ ' with me?"

"Let's call it 'personal enrichment'." Bela is so charming in this moment that Tracy is convinced that it has to be a trick. This has to be some variation on the poker face because it's working just too well. No one who she's just met should be able to get to Tracy this way. She can't fall for this.

"No...."Tracy isn't even completely sure what she's saying no to, just that she needs to shut down whatever is happening. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass."

Bela heaves an exaggerated sigh and she's suddenly two steps outside of Tracy's personal space, already backing toward the door. "Well that's disappointing. I suppose it's back to my usual weekend plans...all alone...just rolling around naked in a pile of money. The old standby."

Bela side-steps past Tracy and smoothly turns to back toward the door with her attention still on Tracy.

"Consider that a standing offer. At least for as long as you can reach my on that number."

Bela spins on her heel and continues heading toward the door. Tracy wants to ask 'what number' but Bela is halfway out the door by the time she has the first syllable out. Tracy huffs in frustration at the entire exchange, feeling more agitated than she had when she came in here to bring her accusations.

It isn't until she catches a glimpse of herself in a mirror that she sees the Queen of Diamonds sticking out of her shirt pocket. The number 7 is visible, handwritten in black ink on the face of the card. She pulls the card out of her pocket to reveal the rest and, yes, it's a phone number. _How the hell?_

She tries not to think about Bela or the card, and specifically not about the number, because if she thinks about any of those things then she's going to have to admit to herself that she's going to call. _Ugh_ , she knows she's going to call.

And the thing about being a standing offer is that they're in the same hotel right now. They are both guaranteed to be available right now. She is going to be curious about this, and forget the spa because how is she supposed to relax right now?

Tracy looks over the card again and she's pissed at herself because she already knows that Bela is going to get lucky again.


End file.
